Bottle carrier



Sept. 16, 1941. NIHAM ILTO N BOTTLE CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1938 A614 fifrzwz Tang,

ATTORNEYS.

N. HAMILTON [BOTTLE CARRIER Sept. 16, 1941.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2- 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1938 ATTOlZN Patented Sept. l6, 1941 2,256,451 Bo'r'rLE" CARRIER Nell Hamilton, Columbus, Ind., assignor to j Noblitt-Sparks Industries, Inc., Columbus, Ind.,

a corporation of Indiana Application August 10, 1938, Serial No. 224,175

4 Claims. (Cl. 224-45) It is the object of my invention to produce a carrier for a. plurality of bottles or similar articles. More specifically, it is my object to produce a carrier in which the bottles may be quickly and easily inserted, in which the bottles will be positively retained, and from which the botvided at its lower edge with a series of cars which are bent to embrace the longitudinally extending bottom-portions. and I2, wherebyeach side is hingedly connected to the bottom. Along their vertical margins, the sides are provided with inwardly projecting oblique extles may be readily removed. A further object of my invention is to produce a carrier having a handle which will not interfere-with stacking of filled carriers. Still another object of my invention is to provide a carrier of simple and durable construction which may be shipped and stored in a knocked-down condition so as to conserve space.

In carrying out my invention I form a carrier with a rigid bottomand with rigid sides which are hingedly connected to the bottom along the side edges thereof. I mount in each side ,a vertically slidable yoke, such yokes being formed so that they may cross and interlock to form a handle. For cheapness of construction, the various parts of the carrier are preferably formed of wire or sheet-metal.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention; Fig. 1 is an end elevationTof one form of carrier with a portion thereof broken away; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the carrier illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a modified form of carrier broken away on the line 4-4 of Fig. 6; Fig, 5 is a side elevation .01

the carrier illustrated in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;. and Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified form of carrierbottom. a

In the carrier illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive the bottom is shown as formed of a single piece of wire repeatedly bent to form transversely'extending portions l0 interconnected at alternate ends by lon'gitudinallyextending portions I l which are in alinemeut along opposite sides of thebottom. The end portions l2 of the wire are bent inwardly of the bottom to form longitudinal portions alined with the portions I I. The transversely extending portions ID are so spaced tensions IS, the extreme edge portions of which are bent inwardly to form, in efiect, tubular guides 11.

The handle comprises two yokes and 2| associated respectively with the two sides It, each such yoke comprising a central horizontal portion 22, an outwardly and downwardly inclined portion 23, and a vertical portion 24. The vertical portions 24 are slidably. received in the tubular guides ll of the sides with which the yokes 20 and 2| are respectively associated, and are longer than such guides so as to be slidable therein. The lower end of each of the vertical yoke-portions 24 are bent horizontally as indicated at 25 to limit upward movement of the I yokes relative to the sides.

as to provide adequatesupport for the bottles which the carrier is to contain. Desirably, thev central part of each transversely extending portion I0 is depressed below the plane of the longitudinally extending portions II and l2, being connected to such longitudinally extending portions by upwardly and outwardly inclined portions l3.

The sides of the carrier are formed of pieces of sheet metal l5, each of such sides being pro- The sloping side portions 23 of each yoke diverge downwardly, so that it is possible to pass the horizontal portion 22 of one yoke (here shown as the yoke 20) between the inclined portions 23 of the other yoke, as is clear from Figs. 1 and 3. At the points where each inclined portion 23 of one yoke crosses the corresponding portion 23 of the other yoke, both portions are ofiset, as indicated at 23, to form complementary notches which are held in engagement with each other by the resilience of the wire of which the yokes 20 and 2! are formed. The ofiset portions '26 are so located that, when they are engaged,

the sides IE will be substantially vertical.

In Fig. l, I have shown in dotted lines the position occupied by the sides I5 and the yokes when the carrier is to be filled. With and yokes in the position illustrated in the sides Fig. l, the carrier is filled with bottles, as'indicated in chain lines, the two sides I! are swung upwardly, the""yoke 20 is passed through theyoke 2|, and the complementary oflset portions 26 interlocked. The device is so proportioned that the inclined portions l6 of the sides I! prevent any substantial degree of endmovement of the bottles, thus holding the bottles positively The yokes 23 and 2| are so proportioned that thehorizontal handle portions 22 may be disposed below the tops of the bottles, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 1, or moved vertically to a position. well above the tops of the bottles to permit the insertion of the fing'ers'beneath the handle portions gether,

22. Upward movement of theyokes'is limited by engagement of theyoke-porticns 25 with the lower ends of the tubular guides By provid-- ing for depression of the horizontal handle portions 22 below the tops of the bottles, it is possible to'stack the filled carriers one upon another. 1 It willbe noted that when' the sides l5 are r opened out to the dotted-line position shown in Fig. l a plurality of carriers may be nested 'tothus conserving space in storage and shipment. The center portion of each side It may be oiiset inwardly to form a protected panel I5 for the display of advertising matter.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the'bottom oi the carrier is formed of longitudinally extending side-wires ll interconnected by a series of transversely extending wires 3| whose ends are welded to the -wires 30. As in the modification illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the cross wires ii are desirably provided with upwardlyrand outwardly extending portions l3, whereby .the bottle-supporting surfaces of the wires-1| are disposed well below the side-wires ill In the arrangement illustratedin Figs. 4, 5, and

' 6, each side of the carrier is formed as a U- shaped wire-yoke 32 the ends oi which are formed into eyes u embracing the associated side-wire '30, of the bottom. Desirably, the eyes it are disposed closely adjacent cross-wires 3| "at the bottom in order to locate'eac'h side longitudinally of its associatedside-wire 30. To complete each side of the carrier, there are associated with the yoke 32 thereof two sheet-metal members 34, each otwhich has pneof its vertical edges curled to embrace one-oi the vertical legs In Fig. I, I have illustrated generally similarto that shown'in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 in thatit'embodies side wires in and aseries of cross-wires welded thereto. InFlg. 7, however, the cross wires 40 do not'cross each other as do the wires 3| "in Figs. 4, 5, and 6,.but instead are portions coniorminggenerally to theing a centralbottle-supporting portion, fsides pivoted to said bottom above said bottle-supporting portion, and a yoke sli'dably mounted in each of' said sides and having a central, horizontal handle portion and side portions, said yokes being adapted to interiit with corresponding side portions crossing each other and with the handle portions disposed in parallel relationship, the

crossing side portions of said yokes being provided with interengaging complementary olisets.

2. A bottle carrier, comprising a bottom having a central bottle-supporting portion, sides pivoted to said bottom, and a yoke slidably mounted in each of said sides and having a central, horizon- .tal handle portion and 'side portions, said yokes being adapted to interfit withcorresponding side portions crossing each other and with the handle of the' yoke 32 and its other vertical edge curled.

to form a guide I! corresponding tothe guide. I! of the modification illustrated inFigs. 1, 2, and

V 3. Handle-io'rmingyokes Il'arid 2| are slidably' associated with the tubular guides H 'as inthe modification previously-described.

In the'arrangement shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6,

the cross wires 3| are illustrated ,as formed tov definitely locate each individual bottle which the carrier is to contain. For this purpose. each cm wire 3| at the end 01' the carrier has an olfaet central portion indicated at 36 adapted to project upwardly between two bottles at the end of the carrier. The intermediate cross wires 3| at thebottom are arranged in pairs and are bent at their middles to provide upwardly projecting oiiset portions 31 which cross each other at the top and which, at the point of crossing, may be welded together for the sake of rigidity.

portions disposed in parallel relationship, the

crossing side portions .of said yokes being' provided with interengaging complementary off-sets. 3. A bottle carrier, comprising a bottom having a central bottle-supporting portion, sides pivoted to said bottom above said-bottle-supporting portion and swingable about their respective pivotal axes between substantially horizontal and substantially vertical positions, a yoke slidably,

mounted in each of said sides and having a central, horizontal" handle portion, and releasable means for holding said handle portions in juxtaposed position at the top of the carrier. g '4. A bottle carrier, comprising a bottom having a central bottle-supporting portion, sides pivoted to said bottom and-swingable about their respective' pivotal axes between substantially horizontal and substantially vertical positions, a yoke slidably mounted in each of said sides and having acentral, horizontalhandle portion, and releasable means for holding said handle portions in juxtaposed position at the top of the carrier.

' -NELL HAMILTON.

a carrier-bottom 

